Medicine Fruit: Scaphium macropodum Beaum.
Related species is Scaphium scaphigerum (G. Don) Guib. & Planch.

Other names:

• Thai:Pungtalay, Sam Rong, Mak chong
• Cambodian: Crap Chi Ling Leak, Som Rong, Samrang Si Phle, Som vang, Som Rong sva .
• Chinese: Ta Hai Teh, Tou Shai Hoi, Pandahai.
• Vietnamese:Uoi, An Nam Tu, Dai Hai Tu, Huong Dao .
• English: Malva Nuts.

Use: Soaked in water, the mak chong fruits form a large quantity of gelatin. This gel is used as a medicine against diarrhea, throat aches and coughs, inflammation, but also for urinary complaints. A dose of 4-5 seeds per day in 1 liter of water to obtain the jelly, with addition of sugar. It can also be made into a dessert.

Times to drink Malva nuts (sam rong)
03.00 - 05.00: Helps to maintain healthy lungs.
05.00 - 07.00: Improves the function of the intestines.
07.00 - 09.00: Coat the stomach.
09.00 - 11.00: Helps to decrease the size of the lower abdomen. High fiber content keeps the intestines moving.
13.00 - 18.00: Liver strong.
19.00: Help to reduce cholesterol.
Bed time: Will get your bowels moving in the morning.

Description: Mak chong is a large and straight tree, up to 45 m tall and with a DBH of up to 80 cm . Leaves vary in shape and size, and are elongated to oval, 10- 12 cm wide and 15- 25 cm long. Inflorescences are either male or female of clusters of light-green and red flowers, little hairy.

The fleshy fruits are brown surrounded by a membranous wing, which is up to 20 cm long, dehiscent. Seeds are ellipse shaped and brown.

Distribution & Ecology: The main centres of production are Champasak, Sekong, Attapeu and Salavan provinces. Its natural distribution is in Myanmar , Thailand , Central-Vietnam , Cambodia , Malaysia , Indonesia and Brunei .

Active ingredients: The main ingredient of mak chong is bassorine gum (a substance that is not solvable in water but swells to form a gel) which fall in the same category as tragacanth gums (used in pharmacy, adhesives, and textile printing).

Harvesting: Harvesting is done by collecting fallen fruits or by climbing trees. Mast fruiting happens only every 3-4 years. Last recorded 'mast' years were 1995, 1998 and 2004. The period of collection is about 3-45 days. Trees tend to begin fruiting at about 10-15 years.